Into the Sunset
by julesmonster
Summary: Final installment of the At the Door series with Gibbs, Tony, and Gil . Tony gets hurt in the line of duty.


**Into the Sunset**

**By Julesmonster**

**Disclaimer:** All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**A/N: **I said that Off the Grid would be the last of the At the Door series. I lied. I had to wrap everything up into a nice little package. So here you go. This is the end, and I mean it this time. Jules

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs stood back from the boat with Gil by his side and looked over the work that they had done. The boat was nearly finished. Gibbs had started a new boat just before Gil and Tony had moved in with him. Gil had been coming down to help since before he started school, and now they had finally finished it. All that was left to do was paint the name on the back and figure out how the hell they were going to get the damn thing out of the basement.

"She looks great!" Gil gushed. "When can we sail her?"

Gibbs chuckled at his son's enthusiasm. "We've got to get her out of the basement first. And then get her to the ship yard where we can get the mast installed. Then there's the rigging—"

"Okay," Gil interrupted. "I get it. There a lot to do still. But are we actually going to do it? Dad said the last boat you built came out of the basement in pieces. We aren't going to break this one up, are we?"

Gibbs looked at Gil with affection. "Of course we aren't going to break this one up. We built her together. You, me and your dad. So now we're going to figure out how to get her out of here in one piece."

Gil frowned. "You mean you don't know?"

"Not a clue," Gibbs admitted. "Never actually wanted to sail any of the others. I built them to… well, to help me deal with stress."

Gil nodded. He knew his Papa had once done the same work his dad did. And his dad was sometimes REALLY stressed. In fact, he'd been really stressed a lot lately. He didn't tell Gil what he was working on, but Gil knew he told his Papa. At least he could do something to help his dad.

"We could get a huge crane and lift the house up," Gil suggested.

Gibbs nodded thoughtfully. "We could. Or we could dig out a ramp and knock a hole through the foundation. Either way, it's going to be expensive and messy. I think we should start working on things that will fit out the door after this. Like furniture. What do you say?"

"I could use a new desk," Gil said. "The drawers are always sticking on mine."

"That sounds like a fine project," Gibbs said approvingly. The phone rang right then and Gibbs flipped his cell open. "Gibbs…. Calm down Abby. Speak slowly…. Alright. Where's he at...? Okay, we'll meet you there…. Yes, Gil's here with me. We'll see you in a few minutes. Oh, and make McGee drive. I want you there in one piece."

Before Gibbs even had the phone closed, Gil was asking, "What's going on?"

Gibbs hesitated. "Now don't get upset, but your dad was taken to the hospital today. We're going to go see how he's doing."

"Abby's upset," Gil pointed out. "So there must be a reason. Was he shot?"

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed. He was scared too, and trying to be brave for Gil was hard. "He was apprehending a suspected killer and the guy shot him. He was wearing his vest, so it didn't hit anything vital, but the bullet nicked his femoral artery."

"That's not good," Gil said with a shaky voice. At twelve years old, he wanted to be brave but couldn't. "We learned about the arteries in biology. He could bleed to death."

Gibbs grabbed Gil and hugged him tightly to his chest. The boy was already up to his chin and would be taller than Gibbs in a couple years if he kept growing the way he had been.

"He's going to be fine," Gibbs promised. "Jimmy was there and was able to control the bleeding until they could get him to the hospital. Now, let's go get your coat. I'm sure your dad will want to see you as soon as the doctors let him."

"Yeah."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

The drive to the hospital was mostly silent. Gil was worried and Gibbs didn't know what else to say to assure him. They would both feel better once they saw Tony. Abby had a tendency to overreact, and things were probably better than they sounded. They pulled up to Bethesda and Gibbs found a place to park. This wasn't the first time Tony had been injured on the job, but it was the first time that Gil was really aware of what was going on. The last time Tony had been hurt, Gil had only been three. Since then, Tony had been very careful not to put himself in the line of fire unnecessarily. He'd always been a bit reckless before that, but knowing that Gibbs and Gil were counting on him coming home alive had given him a new perspective on how to stay safe while still doing the job. Gibbs had stopped worrying so much about his lover.

Now Gil had to face the fear of losing his parent, and Gibbs didn't like it. He didn't like to see the fear and sadness in his son's eyes.

They found Abby, McGee and Palmer in the emergency waiting room and went over to them. Palmer was wearing green scrubs, probably borrowed from the hospital. "Any news?"

"Nothing yet," McGee said. "Palmer did a good job of keeping things under control until the paramedics got there, and he rode with him to the hospital."

"He was awake for most of the ride," Palmer said. He turned to Gil. "He wanted me to tell you not to worry. Said he's too stubborn to let some punk take him out. And he wants to see your football team kick butt this weekend. He really is going to be okay, Gil."

"We're playing our school rivals this week," Gil said quietly. "Dad's been hyping it up almost as much as the Ohio State Michigan game."

"And he's going to see it," Gibbs said firmly. "Even if we have to video tape it and let him watch from here." Just then the doctor called Gibbs over and he left Gil with Abby, asking them to keep an eye on him.

"Mr. Gibbs, I'm Doctor Banning," the man said. "Agent DiNozzo has been taken to surgery to repair the damage done to his femoral artery. He was in stable condition when we sent him up, awake and alert. We had to give him a transfusion, but the damage from the gunshot was minimal. I expect that he'll be out of surgery in a few hours and awake not long after that. There are some forms that you'll need to fill out, and then I'll have someone show you and your son up to the surgical waiting area."

Gibbs nodded. "You said he was awake. Did he say anything?"

The doctor chuckled. "Yeah, he asked me if I was a Michigan fan. Seemed reassured when I told him I went to Duke. He also told me how great his son is playing football."

Gibbs smiled. "That's Tony, alright. And Gil has only just made the junior high team, but he does show promise."

"I'll get those forms so you can get them out of the way before heading upstairs."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

It was several hours later and Gil was sleeping on the sofa across from Gibbs. Abby and Tim were both dozing on another sofa. Ziva had come to report that the suspect had been processed and to check on Tony, but left soon after. With Tim and Abby both here, someone had to finish up the reports on the bust. She promised to come back in the morning when Tony would be awake.

A doctor entered the room, and everyone but Gil stood to find out what was happening. "Mr. Gibbs? I'm Doctor Jones, the surgeon who worked on Tony, but you can call me Pamela. Tony came through the surgery just fine. We repaired the damage to his femoral artery and patched him up, but there may be some permanent muscle damage. We'll have to keep an eye on that in the days to come, and he's going to need a bit of physical therapy as well. We've moved him to recovery and expect that he'll probably be moved to a regular room in the morning. For now, we can only let you in to see him, but once he's been moved, the rest of your family can visit."

Gibbs turned to Abby. "Let Gil sleep. If he wakes up, let him know Tony's okay and I'll be back in a few minutes to talk to him, okay?"

"Sure," Abby said with a smile. "Tell Tony we're pulling for him?"

"I will," Gibbs said.

He followed Pamela down the hall to the recovery area and they entered a curtained room. Tony was hooked up to an oxygen mask and heart monitor. There was an IV and a catheter, but he was obviously breathing on his own and his heart was beating regularly. He was pale, but otherwise looked just fine. Gibbs took Tony's hand in both of his and said a silent prayer of thanks.

"Hey Tony," Gibbs said softly, not expecting a response.

Tony, however, had other ideas because he fluttered his eyes open sleepily. "LJ."

"You're awake," Gibbs smiled. "Gil will be happy to hear that. He's been worried about you. Me too."

Tony took a minute to respond and his words were slow and sleepy. "Didn't want you to worry. Love you both."

"We love you too," Gibbs said. "That's why we worry. Get some sleep. They're going to move you to a room soon, and Gil will be able to visit, so you better rest while you can."

Tony gave a small smile. "G'night."

Gibbs smiled. "Good night." He stayed there for a few more minutes until a nurse came to tell him that his time was up.

Back in the waiting room, Gil was now awake and scowling. "They wouldn't let me go see dad!"

Gibbs understood his son's frustration. "I know. But the hospital has rules we have to follow. Your dad is really tired right now. He needs to sleep as much as he can."

Gil nodded and the anger drained away to be replaced with that same sadness from before. "Is…is he okay?"

Gibbs smiled and hugged his son. "He's just fine. He's tired from everything that happened, but he's fine. Come on, why don't you and I go get something to eat at the cafeteria. Aunt Abby and Uncle Tim will call us if anything changes."

Gil nodded. "Okay."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs was able to talk Gil into going home with Abby and Tim by convincing him that his Dad wouldn't want to see him all tired and cranky from a sleepless night. And he convinced Abby to leave only because Gil needed her. It was a good plan and it worked. Jimmy had gone back to work not long after he and Gil had arrived. There was still work to be done in order to put the bastard who shot Tony away.

Gibbs sat drinking a coffee and brooding alone in the waiting room. It was times like these that he really missed Ducky. The older man would have had some words of advice or comfort to keep him going. He even missed the long winded stories. Ducky had retired a year after Gibbs had and the two had gotten together for lunch a couple times a week for a while. Then Ducky's mother had passes away and things had been more difficult for a couple months. They had just gotten back on track with their regular visits when Ducky's heart had given out. That had been three years ago. Gil had taken the death hard. Ducky was the closest thing to a grandfather that he had ever known.

Now Gibbs was wondering how many times he and Gil would be back here, waiting for news about Tony. Or would it be McGee or Ziva next time. He suddenly felt a lot older than he had ever felt before.

"I miss Ducky."

Gibbs looked up to see Ziva standing in the doorway. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Ziva crossed over to sit beside him. "He would have had some advice to give each of us to get us through. And would have illustrated it with a long and colorful tale."

"I never had enough time to listen to all of his tales," Gibbs admitted.

"Nor did I," Ziva agreed. "I think he would have told us that these things happen to remind us what is important in our lives."

"I know what is important," Gibbs said. "Tony and Gil are my life."

"Perhaps the message wasn't aimed at you," Ziva said. "Perhaps this was a reminder to someone else."

"Tony?" Gibbs asked.

Ziva nodded. "And Tim. And me."

"I thought things were going well for the team," Gibbs said.

"We have maintained as high a solve rate since your retirement as we had before," Ziva said. "But recently… Well, I think our hearts are being pulled in different directions. Tim has been offered the position as team leader for the cyber crimes unit. He has held off giving an answer because he feels that leaving would be disloyal."

"Tony did the same once," Gibbs said. "Jenny offered him a team and he turned her down."

"Tony has taught him well," Ziva said.

"What about you? What's pulling you?" Gibbs asked.

"Richard wants to have children," Ziva said. She had gotten married to the man she had met doing work for Habitat for Humanity almost three years ago. "I cannot agree as long as I am an active agent. I do not think I could be a mother and an agent. I know you and Tony did it, but I do not believe I can."

Gibbs absorbed this information. "What about Tony?"

Ziva smiled. "That I do not know. He keeps things close to the chest."

"Close to the vest," Gibbs corrected with a smile.

"Yes, close to the vest," Ziva replied with her own smile. "He is much like you. He gives little away. Though he makes you feel as though he is hiding nothing. He is an enigma."

"But you think he's unhappy?" Gibbs pressed.

"Do you not?" Ziva returned.

Gibbs thought about that. "He's had a hard time letting things go, lately. Even Gil has noticed. Since his father died, it's been difficult."

Ziva nodded. "As I said, I think these things happen to remind us who and what is most important." She got up and walked to the door. "I will bring back coffee in a couple hours. Try to get some sleep."

**GDGDGDGDGD**

Gibbs did finally manage to sleep. Not long after Ziva left, a nurse came and let him see Tony again for a few minutes. This time, he didn't wake at all. Once back in the waiting room, Gibbs laid down on one of the sofas and slept until Ziva woke him up the next morning. Abby, Tim and Gil came a few minutes later with bagels and juice. They were having a nice little picnic when Pamela came in to tell them that they were moving Tony to a regular room. She'd checked him over and everything looked great. She expected that he would be released in a couple days. Just in time for Gil's game. Knowing Tony, he would insist on being there, no matter how tired or sore he was.

Gibbs took Gil in to visit as soon as they were allowed, and then sent their son to school. Tony didn't want him to miss, and Gil had eventually given in to his dad. Then Abby and McGee had come and gone, agreeing to take Gil to school and pick him up after football practice so that he could visit again. Ziva talked with Tony for a few minutes before going back to NCIS. And then Gibbs was alone with Tony.

"What happened?" Gibbs asked once they were alone.

"I had him," Tony said. "Or I thought I did. He was on the ground and I was patting him down when he pulled a second gun from somewhere and shot me. Tim got me away from him while Ziva subdued him. Then Palmer was there. After that, things are a bit blurry. I think I talked about Gil."

"You asked the ER doctor if he was a Michigan fan," Gibbs said.

"That's right," Tony said with a small grin. "After Doctor Brad Pitt, I always ask."

Gibbs grinned. "And you bragged about Gil's skills on the field."

"Well, he's an amazing player," Tony said. "First year on the team and he's a starting receiver."

"He's got potential," Gibbs agreed. "But he's good at baseball, too."

Tony grinned. "Yeah. He's going to be the starting catcher this year, I know it."

"We finished the boat," Gibbs said. "He wants to know how we're going to get it out of the basement so we can sail her."

"I want to know that too," Tony said. "How the hell are we going to get it out, LJ?"

"We'll work on that," Gibbs said. "Won't be good sailing weather for about six months."

Tony nodded and yawned. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"I know," Gibbs said. "We'll work on that as well. We've got all the time in the world."

"Yeah, we do," Tony said with a tired smile.

**GDGDGDGDGD**

The months passed and Tony regained his mobility. He went through months of physical therapy to repair the damage done to his muscles with the gun shot. He went back to work after the first month, but didn't make it to full duty for two. Since then, the team had gone through many changes. Tim had taken the cyber crimes position and had asked Abby to marry him finally. Ziva decided to get pregnant and applied for a position in the NCIS tactical training team. She would still be active and helping, but no longer a field agent. Tony was left training a whole new team.

While he did that, Gibbs and Gil worked on getting the boat out of the basement. They spent their free time working with contractors and an architect to open up the basement. The current garage was torn out, along with the cement slab, and a large hole replaced it. Then they laid foundations for a basement level garage. Once that was done, they broke through the old foundation and pulled the boat out. Once the boat was out, they turned the opening into a large doorway to the new garage. If they ever built another boat, they would be able to get it out. Then they built a second and third story over the new garage.

In the end, they did almost a complete renovation on the house. Very few rooms went untouched. The kitchen's square footage was doubled and they added a family room to the first floor. On the second floor, they made a true master suite, with a huge bathroom and walk in closet. Gil's room was enlarged as well, and they remodeled the bathroom. It was a huge project, but Gibbs was there to oversee the contractors and keep them on budget and on schedule. In the end, the house was done in the late spring, about the same time the boat was fitted with its mast.

A few years ago, they never would have been able to afford to do all that work on the house, and the boat probably would have sat in the basement indefinitely. When Tony's father died, however, he had left Tony with a substantial inheritance. Gibbs thought that had been the hardest thing for Tony. He'd spent years believing that his father hated him, but with his death, when it was too late to go back and fix things, Anthony DiNozzo Senior had proved that he had never really given up on his son.

Since then, all the fight seemed to have left Tony. He was still capable and still did his job well. He was still a great father and lover. But the spark was gone, as was his ability to let the stress of the job go.

On the last day of school, Gil was honored at an award ceremony. He actually got awards for both his contributions to the football and baseball teams and for his academic achievements. Tony had surprised both Gil and Gibbs when he showed up. They had both thought that Tony wouldn't be able to make it, but were glad that he did. Afterward, the three of them went to Marconi's to celebrate. Maria still doted on Gil, and Tony still loved her food.

"Here's to Gil," Gibbs said as he lifted his soda. "Scholar-athlete extraordinaire."

"Here, here!" Tony said as he lifted his own glass. Gil blushed, but looked pleased. Tony looked at his family and smiled. "I have an announcement to make. Today was my last day at NCIS. I don't have a clue what I'm going to do with my time, but I know I don't want to keep doing what I was doing. Maybe I'll take up coaching high school football. What I do know is that the three of us now have six weeks without any responsibilities or obligations."

Gil's face lit up as he realized what his father was suggesting. "The boat?"

"It's ready, isn't it?" Tony asked Gibbs.

Gibbs smirked. "It is. I suppose this is the part where I ask you to sail off into the sunset with me?"

Tony smiled and kissed Gibbs. "You don't have to ask if you already know the answer."

"Oh, geez!" Gil groaned. "Could you stop with the mushy stuff?"

Tony laughed. "Get used to it kiddo. If you're going sailing with your pa and me, you won't be able to get away from our mushy moments."

"It is a rather small sailboat," Gibbs said.

"Yuck," Gil muttered. "Well, at least we're going sailing. Can we go down to the Florida Keys? And maybe New Orleans?"

Gibbs chuckled. "If we don't go this time, I'm sure we can next time. After all, we have all the time in the world."

**The End**

**A/N:** Okay folks, this really is the end of the road for the Gibbs-Tony-Gil stories. Everybody is sufficiently content in their lives and you can't get much more "happily ever after" than sailing off into the sunset. I hope you enjoyed the story and the series. Jules


End file.
